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Nov 7, 2007
Pig sitter charged with misdemeanour cruelty
Alaina made headlines last week after Ms Schmitz complained that the pet sitter had allowed Alaina to go from her normal 23 kilogrammes to 68 kilogrammes in just nine months. -- PHOTO: AP
WINONA (Minnesota) - A PET pig whose weight tripled while it was in the care of a sitter has been placed on a diet - and an animal cruelty charge has been filed against the caretaker.
The 5-year-old animal, Alaina Templeton, part potbellied pig, has lost 10 per cent of her 68 kilogrammes and is recovering well from surgery to remove a collar that had become embedded in her overly fat neck, owner Michelle Schmitz said.
Alaina made headlines last week after Ms Schmitz complained that the pet sitter had allowed Alaina to go from her normal 23 kilogrammes to 68 kilogrammes in just nine months. Ms Schmitz had left Alaina with the sitter, a co-worker, while she was on medical leave to recover from ankle surgery.
Alaina apparently had been foraging for cat food and chicken feed outdoors at the co-worker's farm.
Ms Schmitz said now that her pet is back home, the excess pounds will 'melt off' with a healthy diet and exercise. She said she and Alaina's veterinarian consider 23 kilogrammes a more suitable weight for the mixed-breed pig.
A misdemeanour charge of animal cruelty has been filed against Mary Beesecker, 52, of Houston, Minnesota, Winona County Sheriff David Brand said.
'I want her to be held responsible for what she did and what she didn't do,' Ms Schmitz said. -- AP
Pig go on diet... imagine those wasted bak ku teh it can made out of it... ha ha ha ..